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Nat King Cole Biography Mini-Unit
Image c/o: Capitol Records via Wikimedia Commons
A Mini-Unit Study by Look! We’re Learning!
©2013 Look! We’re Learning!
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Nat King Cole was an American jazz singer who
became famous during the 1940s. He was born as
Nathaniel Adams Coles on March 17, 1919, in
Montgomery, Alabama. Nathaniel, who was soon
nicknamed “Nat”, was the fourth child of Edward
James Coles and Perlina Coles and the older children
doted on him.
Black people who lived in Montgomery, Alabama
during the 1920s had very few opportunities for work
or education, so Mr. and Mrs. Coles decided to move
the family up north to Chicago, Illinois when Nat was
four years old. Soon after arriving in the city, Mr.
Coles, who was a preacher, began serving at one of
Chicago’s South Side churches.
All of the Coles children played music at the church,
including young Nat, who learned to play the
instrument by ear. Nat’s older brother, Eddie, had
learned to play several instruments including piano,
bass, and tuba. When he began playing professionally
with local jazz bands, young Nat often tagged along to
watch. During these excursions, Nat got to observe
some of the early jazz artists of the era such as Louis
Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, and Earl Hines, who was
nicknamed “Fatha”.
Nat continued playing the piano and the organ in
church, but following his brother’s advice, he began
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taking professional lessons so that he could learn to
read music. Despite his natural ear for melody, Nat
found that learning the technical aspects of piano
playing, such as scales and chords, made it possible
for him to play any song, which would be essential to a
future career in music.
As Nat’s interest in jazz grew, he
began to improvise during his
performances in his father’s church
services. On more than one
occasion, Nat received a stern
talking-to from his father, who did
not approve of jazz music. Often,
though, Mr. Coles only had to raise
an eyebrow at Nat, who would then
quickly resume playing in the
traditional music style.
In 1935, Nat decided to begin playing jazz music full-
time. Eddie helped him put together a new group to
play with, called the Solid Swingers. The band got its
first recording session with Decca Records under its
“Sepia Series” label, which produced music that
catered to African-Americans. While the band didn’t
garner much notice, critics were impressed by Nat’s
piano playing, which resembled the sound of his idol,
Earl Hines.
Image c/o: William P. Gottlieb via Wikimedia Commons
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By the time Nat began touring, he had dropped the “s”
from his last name, performing under the name Nat
Cole, the “Prince of the Ivories.” Eventually, Nat went
on the road with a live production of the musical
“Shuffle Along”. When the tour came to an end in Los
Angeles, Nat decided to stay in the city with his new
wife, Nadine.
Times were hard for the couple, since Nat was unable
to book many well-paying gigs. After finally putting
together a trio of his own in 1938, the “King Cole
Swingers”, Nat began playing at local jazz clubs and
venues around the area. Much of the trio’s popularity
came about due to its performances on radio
broadcast shows.
The King Cole Swingers got their
first recording deal with a new
record label, Capitol Records, in
1943. Nat’s first big hit for the
label was the song “Straighten Up
and Fly Right”, which he wrote
based on one of his father’s early
sermons. The song was a huge
success for Nat and for Capitol
Records, selling more than half a
million copies.
Image c/o: Wikimedia Commons
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In 1946, Nat paid for the trio’s own 15-minute radio
broadcast, which was the first time an African-
American artist had sponsored a radio show. As Nat’s
radio popularity grew, he began recording more songs
for Capitol, including “Route 66”, “Mona Lisa”, and his
most popular hit “Unforgettable”.
In the year 1948, Nat divorced Nadine and married
Maria Ellington, a jazz background singer. In 1950, the
couple had a daughter, Natalie, who eventually grew
up to become a successful jazz singer in her own
right. Nat and Maria would go on to have two more
daughters and adopt two other children during their
marriage.
Nat was becoming a wildly
successful musician but not
everyone wanted to see him do well.
When he bought a house in Beverly
Hills in 1948, the Ku Klux Klan placed
a burning cross in his yard. When he
returned to Montgomery, Alabama in
1956 to play a live show, four
members of the White Citizens
Brigade - a branch of the Ku Klux
Klan - rushed the stage and beat him
in the middle of the performance.
Image c/o: William P. Gottlieb via Wikimedia Commons
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Instead of responding to these events with anger, Nat
believed that it was best to win audiences over by
continuing to perform his music. Nat was hesitant to
get involved in politics and he routinely played at
events where the audiences were separated based on
race. However, he eventually joined the NAACP,
became active in the Civil Rights Movement, and
assisted in planning the 1963 March on Washington.
Nat made history by becoming the
first African-American to host a
television show. NBC premiered
The Nat King Cole Show in the
year 1956. During the show’s
one-year run, several musical
artists appeared on the program,
including Ella Fitzgerald, Harry
Belafonte, and Peggy Lee.
After the show ended, Nat continued performing in
such cities as Las Vegas and Havana, as well as
recording occasional television specials. However, at
the height of his stardom, he was stricken with lung
cancer. Nat died on February 15, 1965, at the age of
forty-five. By the end of his career, Nat King Cole had
sold more than nine million records. He was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the year 2000.
Image c/o: Wikimedia Commons
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Questions for Review:
1. In what city was Nat King Cole born?
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2. What was Nat’s birth name?
___________________________________________________________
3. Why did the Coles family decide to move to
Chicago?
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4. Who helped Nat become interested in jazz
music?
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5. Name three early jazz artists who influenced Nat.
___________________________________________________________
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6. Where was the first place Nat began playing the
piano?
___________________________________________________________
7. What was the name of Nat’s first jazz group?
___________________________________________________________
8. In what year did Nat assemble his own jazz trio?
___________________________________________________________
9. What was the name of Nat’s first big hit?
___________________________________________________________
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10. What happened when Nat returned to
Montgomery to play a show in 1956?
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11. What 1963 civil rights event did Nat help plan?
___________________________________________________________
12. How did Nat make television history?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
13. What honor did Nat receive in the year 2000?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
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Nat King Cole Crossword
Across Down
2. Name of Nat's older brother 1. Nat's most popular song
6. City where Nat bought a house in 1948 3. Record label Nat signed with
8. City in which Nat was born 4. Name of Nat's daughter
10. Network that aired Nat's TV show 5. Name of Nat's second wife
11. Civil rights organization Nat joined 7. Jazz artist Nat admired most
12. First record company Nat recorded with 9. Name of Nat's jazz trio
13. City Nat’s family moved to when he was four
14. How Nat first learned to play the piano
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“Route 66” Copywork
If you ever plan to
motor west, travel my
way. Take the highway
that is best. Get your
kicks on Route 66.
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It winds from Chicago to
LA, more than two
thousand miles all the
way. Get your kicks on
Route 66.
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Questions for Review Answer Key:
1. Montgomery, Alabama
2. Nathaniel Adams Coles
3. Because black families did not have many opportunities in
Montgomery, Alabama during the 1920s
4. His older brother, Eddie
5. Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, and Earl Hines
6. At his father’s church
7. The Solid Swingers
8. 1938
9. “Straighten Up and Fly Right”
10. He was attacked by four members of the White Citizens Brigade
during the performance.
11. The March on Washington
12. He became the first African-American person to host a television
show.
13. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Nat King Cole Crossword Answer Key:
ACROSS:
2. EDDIE
6. BEVERLYHILLS
8. MONTGOMERY
10. NBC
11. NAACP
12. DECCA
13. CHICAGO
14. BYEAR
DOWN:
1. UNFORGETTABLE
3. CAPITOL
4. NATALIE
5. MARIA
7. EARLHINES
9. KINGCOLESWINGERS
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Bibliography:
*A note to parents – The following books and websites were used in
the research for this mini-unit study. However, some of the books
listed below are NOT children’s books and they feature themes about
racism, language, and music that children may not be equipped to
handle. Parents are advised to read the books themselves and then
choose how to share the information with their children.*
Ruuth, Marianne: Nat King Cole – Singer and Jazz Pianist ©1992
Melrose Square Publishing
Haskins, James; Benson, Kathleen: Nat King Cole ©1984 Stein and
Day, Inc.
Gourse, Leslie: Unforgettable – The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole
©1991 St. Martin’s Press
Cole, Maria; Robinson, Louie: Nat King Cole – An Intimate Biography
©1971 William Morrow & Company
Epstein, Daniel Mark: Nat King Cole ©1999 Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Wikipedia.org: Nat King Cole
PBS.org: American Masters – Nat King Cole